ISTRO CTF Working Group What has happened Has
- Slides: 11
ISTRO CTF Working Group What has happened? Has anything changed? Where do we go from here? Perhaps Nowhere!
What has happened? Extensive Research in USA, EU, Australia Draft* Summary of Wheel Effects on: • • • Soil Strength/Tillage Energy Conductivity/Biological Activity Crop Yield. *Current version: Includes many inconsistencies, Illegitimate averaging (k. N/tool and L/ha, infiltration and ksat etc). No weighting of years x sites
Traffic Treatments - Means Years x Sites Axle Weight t Tyre Pressure k. Pa US* EU 28 39 7. 04 3. 90 145 131 Austr. 58 5. 67 94 4. 78 125 Overall * Voorhees Zero = < 4. 5 t What is our “Control?
Soil Strength/Tillage Energy Mean Ratio : CTF/Wheeled US EU Austr. Overall Soil Strength 0. 61 0. 96 0. 48 0. 68 Tillage Energy 0. 88 0. 73 0. 56 0. 70
Hydrology/Biology Mean Ratio : CTF/Wheeled Hydraulic Conductivity Biological Activity US 1. 20 0. 94 EU 1. 36 1. 37 Austr 3. 79 3. 84 Overall 1. 81 2. 16
Production Mean Ratio : CTF/Wheeled Crop Yield US 1. 02 EU 1. 10 Austr 1. 19 Overall 1. 10 System Effects Generally Not Assessed
Outcomes Soil Strength and Tillage Energy, Hydraulic Conductivity/Soil Biology. } Consistently } Positive Effects Variability partly due to methodological differences? Small yield effect where crop is well-supplied with water/nutrients Largest effects in Australia - water- limited cropping - greater system emphasis* * Most comparisons between CTF ZT and Wheeled Tilled Soil
Reflections 1 System advantages rarely assessed • Trafficability, Timeliness. • Improved Tilth, Evenness, Uniformity • Zero or Reduced Tillage Potential. Difficult to Quantify, but Vitally Important Challenge #1 – We don’t have the data
Reflections 2 Current System Attitudes Accepted • Impractical, too difficult. • Equipment change not possible. • Land wasted in laneways Challenge #2 – do we believe this?
What has Changed • Environmental Focus Replacing production focus Opportunity#1 • Guidance Is getting better/cheaper Opportunity#2 • Widespread Acceptance in Australia Ordinary farmers find it easier* Opportunity#3 *Principle of Reduced/Zero Tillage Widely Accepted. Erosion Hazard. No Mouldboard Ploughs. Less Residue Problems (soil warming, etc)
What Do We Need to Do? Long-term assessment of system Environmental/Social/Productivity Benefits To achieve this we must: • Convince ourselves • Convince our colleagues • Back up the pioneer farmers • Encourage industry interest • Shake the environmental money tree